Crisis long forgotten! Football fanatic wins over more than just Tuchel

Crisis long forgotten! Football fanatic wins over more than just Tuchel An angry Bellingham father storming into Dortmund's dressing room after the final whistle because he was unhappy with his son's playing time. That story caused quite a stir at Borussia Dortmund just over a year ago. In the disappointing 3-3 draw against St. Pauli, Jobe Bellingham had been substituted at half-time. Much to the annoyance of his father, Mark. According to reports from 'Sky' and 'Bild', he subsequently stormed into the tunnel area after the final whistle and confronted Sebastian Kehl. An incident that now feels like it belongs to another era. Yet it vividly illustrates just how far the 21-year-old has come since then. After a difficult start to his debut season, the midfielder has long since established himself as a regular at BVB. The numbers speak for themselves: last season, he had played a meagre 209 minutes after the first nine Bundesliga matches; this season, he has already clocked up 644. This improvement in form has not escaped England manager Thomas Tuchel's attention either. The Three Lions boss called the BVB player into the senior squad for the first time. His strong start to the season was the deciding factor, Tuchel stressed at the press conference: "He has taken the next step in his development in the Bundesliga." But Tuchel is not the only one raving about the Englishman's progress; BVB coach Niko Kovač also regularly sings his protégé's praises. The coach was particularly impressed by the youngster's extraordinary ambition. Bellingham invests a great deal of time in his personal development and approaches the sport with the utmost professionalism. "He really is a complete football obsessive," Kovač said admiringly. That attitude is increasingly evident on the pitch. Alongside his tremendous physical presence and tireless running, the Englishman stands out above all for his tactical versatility. "Jobe can play as a six or an eight. He's a box-to-box player who covers a lot of ground," Kovač explained. TV pundit Didi Hamann also credits the coach's work for the way the 21-year-old is now firing on all cylinders. Speaking on Sky, Hamann recalled the difficult early days. "He kept getting taken off, never really found his rhythm and wasn't playing well," Hamann said. Since then, however, things have changed. "But the way he's played since last winter has been outstanding. The coach deserves a lot of credit for that," the pundit added. The constant comparisons with his older brother Jude probably held Jobe back at first, too. Yet even the current Real Madrid star once needed time to settle in Dortmund: in his debut season in 2020/21, Jude registered just four goal contributions in the Bundesliga, rising to eleven in his second year. His minutes played also increased significantly, from 1,702 to 2,795. Hamann believes comparisons are difficult anyway, as Jobe is a "slightly different, more defensive type of player" than his brother. That makes it all the more remarkable that the Dortmund midfielder has recently been making his mark in attack more and more often. His growing confidence is paying off: he now has the prospect of playing alongside his brother Jude for the Three Lions for the first time. "Being called up for England is a dream in itself. Having the chance to play for England alongside my brother is something that's really hard to put into words," an overwhelmed Jobe said on Tuesday. From a frustrated player being substituted to a celebrated international debutant: Jobe Bellingham has dispelled the doubts and earned his place in the spotlight through his performances. And while his father Mark was still having to argue over playing time in the tunnel area a year ago, he can now sit back, relax and enjoy England's international matches. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.